[BLOG] " Disinfecting Cleaner " : be sure you understand what it means.

When I speak about hygiene and sanitation, I always mention the difference between cleaning & disinfecting (check here for more information). This is indeed an essential concept to have in mind when fighting infectious diseases lurking in the shelter's environment.

Those two different steps are definitely part of an important equation. And since there are two different steps, it is not uncommon to use two different products. However, this is when things can get a little bit confusing, and there is always someone in the audience asking me about those products that are called "disinfecting cleaners".

"If they clean AND disinfect, why should we do two steps ? One should be enough then." Mmm, let's discuss this assumption.

#1 Disinfecting cleaners are a reality. Such products do exist. Quaternary ammoniums ( products which active compounds usually carries "ammonium" something in their name), potassium peroxymonosulfate and accelerated hydrogen peroxides (AHPs) can be qualified as such.

#2 Those products have detergent properties. At the same time, if you remember this table I share often (see here), they also have disinfecting properties. They are indeed "disinfecting cleaners".

#3 However, if they do clean AND disinfect, they don't necessarily do both at the same time... You still need to go through the two mandatory steps. Even if that means for you using twice the same product.

#4 You don't believe anything I just wrote ? A simple way to convince you guys : check the directions of use of the disinfecting cleaner you are using. You will probably see something like the picture below. There will be three sets of indications : for cleaning, for sanitizing and for disinfecting ! This is the case, even on product like AHPs.

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